Candidates Named for OPALCO Election

Nominations by Petition Due February 13

— from Suzanne Olson for OPALCO —

The volunteer member Elections & Governance Committee has selected candidates for the OPALCO Board of Directors election in District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands) and District 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane islands). The following were nominated by a vote of the committee:

• District 3 (two positions open): Peter Garlock and Brian Silverstein
• District 4 (one position open): Peter Hawkes and Dr. Jerry Whitfield

There is still time for members to declare their candidacy for the board election. Nominations by petition are due on February 13, 2018 at 12:00 PT (noon). Co-op members from Districts 3 or 4 may submit their candidacy by 1) collecting no fewer than 20 names and signatures of bonafide OPALCO members who live in their district on a petition; and 2) completing the nominations app at https://opalco.directnominations.net/.

Get more information on OPALCO’s nominations process online: www.opalco.com/elections. ALL OPALCO members vote in every election regardless of your home district.

Candidate forums are scheduled March 4-8^th on four islands to meet the candidates in person. Ballots and voting materials will be sent to members on March 11^t, the day the election opens, and also will be posted online at www.opalco.com. Members will receive their ballots by email or via USPS, depending on each members stated preference. Ballots are due online or by mail no later than 10:00 a.m. PT on April 10. Election results will be announced on Saturday, April 13 at OPALCO’s Annual Meeting on the interisland ferry.

The current members of the Elections & Governance Committee (EGC) are Bill Severson (Chair), Barry Cave, Doug Marshall, Howard Barbour, Bev Leyman, Rob Thesman and Chom Greacen. There are open positions on the EGC. For more information on the EGC, or to apply to join the volunteer committee, go to www.opalco.com or email communications@opalco.com.

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,000 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 95% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937. Follow OPALCO @OrcasPower on Facebook and Twitter.